An overlooked food that causes IBS symptoms & bloating
Discover how this surprising food group can be behind bloating, wind, constipation - and
The number of people suffering with IBS symptoms such as bloating, wind, weight gain and constipation is enormous, but the term Irritable bowel syndrome tells us very little about what’s going on.
Usually, sufferers begin to work out that some foods cause them symptoms over time and can therefore manage their symptoms better. Identifying which foods cause the symptoms however can be very tricky to do without professional help.
One food group that is rarely suspected to be the culprit is - fruit! Or rather fructose, which is one of the types of sugar found in fruit. In the article, we’ll discuss how in the world something healthy can be problematic, and its impact in the leaky gut and IBS, and what some of the latest research says.
If you’re not interested in the science, feel free to skip right to the end, where we’ll tell you what to do if you think you have fructose intolerance. We’re pleased to also be offering an inexpensive test for fructose intolerance which you can carry out from the comfort of your home.
But before we go into that, lets first clarify how fructose can be a problem.
FRUIT IS HEALTHY - HOW ON EARTH CAN IT BE A PROBLEM?
For thousands of years, humans consumed up to about 25 of fructose a day on average (the equivalent of an average modern sized apple and a half), mainly as wild fruits and honey obtained from foraging of things like wild raspberries, cherries, blackcurrants, rosehip and aronia as well as apples and pears. Some of these berries you may never even have eaten, and there’s one main reason for that: They are overall pretty tart, and we prefer to eat more sweet fruit.
Nevertheless, the pursuit of sweeter and aesthetically flawless fruits has driven substantial transformations in our agricultural techniques and food processing methods. This shift has, in turn, significantly impacted our dietary habits. Presently, the average daily per capita consumption of fructose varies from 8 to 100 g, with the United States, known for its high consumption of processed fructose, averaging around 80 g/day.
The once-popular "5 a day" campaign, initially inclusive of fruit juices and simpler, processed carbohydrates, has inundated supermarkets with more affordable and visually appealing fruits. While this approach may have been beneficial for those needing to incorporate more fresh food into their diet, it has also led to a considerable surge in fruit intake among health-conscious consumers.
The more older reader may remember less palatable fruit such as seeded grapes, and fruit that was available only within a short season! As an illustration on how fruit has changed, the peach, for instance, went from a small cherry-like fruit that wasn't too fleshy into the big juicy pinkish fruit we eat today (image 1).
Image 1:
Ref image:
A more sweeter tasting fruit means more fructose and other types of sugar such as glucose. Being so much more appealing to eat (less tart more sweet) - it’s easy to over-consume (don’t forget fruit juices, smoothies, dried fruit), or certainly consume more than we’re potentially intended to eat.
THE SYMPTOMS:
IBS & CONSTIPATION - CAN IT BE A FRUCTOSE INTOLERANCE?
When we eat fruit and after it’s left the stomach, it’s absorbed and transported into the body from the gut, via a little chemical (GLUT5) that sits in the mucus covered lining in the small intestine. However, this mechanism is thought to have a max capacity of circa 25g a day! Which is equivalent circa 1.5 apples. if this absorption capacity is either temporarily or chronically impaired or overloaded, a portion of the fructose consumed is not absorbed in the small intestine but instead reaches the large intestine. Here, the fructose is ‘eaten’ by certain bacteria which form gases (carbon dioxide, hydrogen and methane), resulting in common symptoms such as BLOATING, TUMMY PAIN, CONSTIPATION, OR LOOSE STOOLS. Moreover, fatigue, muscle/joint pain, headaches, difficulty concentrating, depression, increased hunger and bad breath has also been observed clinically in these scenarios.
Of course not everyone eating lots of fruit will have these symptoms. Which brings us to the topic of who and why someone might have low capacity to break down fructose.
If you have inflammation or irritation in the gut lining where the absorption of fructose takes place - could this be causing fructose maldigestion?
Inflammation or irritation at the gut lining could occur if you have SIBO or leaky gut.
Fructose and the Wellbeing of Your Gut Lining: The Vicious Cycle
in another study by Dr. Michael Karin of the University of California, San Diego, The team found that mice fed a high-fructose diet for long periods showed deterioration of their intestinal barrier. Meaning, you could end up with a bit of a vicious cycle! Impaired gut lining leading to fructose malabsorption - leading to more deterioration of the gut lining!! The high fructose diet in this case however will refer to the processed type - the ‘free’ flowing fructose molecules found in high fructose corn syrup (which by the way was not used much in the EU and is known to cause diabetes, but that the EU has now permitted presumably under pressure from commercial interest. Expect to this this ingredient replace sugar more and more).
THE GUT LINING - CRITICAL ORGAN IN MANAGING INFLAMMATION
Intestines are lined with a layer of tightly packed cells covered with mucus. This barrier prevents bacteria and toxins from leaking into the bloodstream! Mice fed a high-fructose diet also had higher circulating levels of endotoxins—inflammation causing toxins released from certain bacteria when they die. The livers of these mice were inflamed. These endotoxins prompted immune cells called macrophages to react and increase the production of cell signaling proteins that are involved in inflammation. Further experiments showed that these signaling proteins boosted levels of enzymes that convert fructose into fatty deposits in the liver, creating a vicious cycle.
WHAT CAN YOU DO:
In a study by Zoltan Arany, a professor at Penn University, showed that consuming fruit or a fructose beverage slowly over a long meal, rather than in one gulp, can mitigate any adverse effects. They therefore showed that consuming the whole fruit as oppose to processed fructose (fruit juice, smoothies, and other sweet drinks and breakfast cereal) slows down digestion due the intact fibre and therefore has a lesser effect.
Consume a wider range of fruits that are less sweet. Seek out more alternative fresh produce stores and markets, buying fruits directly imported instead of always from supermarkets. Supermarkets have very strict (and unethical/unsustainable) criteria to what they will be purchase, meaning more mono selections, sweeter fruit.
Skip the fruit beverages. Fruit juice in particular, is a processed high sugar food. Home made smoothies are much better, as they keep the fibre (slows the absorption of sugars!), and you have control over the sweetness and mix in vegetables, avocado and seeds.
Keep the super sweet fruits for desserts. Melons, grapes, mango, dates. Don’t forget the less sweet: apricots, raspberries, grapefruit.
Choose high fibre fruits: Figs, kiwi, raspberries.
OUTSIDE OF TUMMY CONCERNS: PROCESSED FRUCTOSE
Many ready-made foods, and in particular drinks, contain a man-made type of fructose syrup, where it is used as the primary sweetener. Isoglucose, Fructose-Glucose Syrup”, maize syrup, and glucose-fructose syrup are other names for this, and may be found in biscuits, sweets and sweet drinks.
Sadly regular sugar is a more expensive ingredient and thereby often replaced. Just when we thought sugar was the baddie!
Fructose and Insulin Resistance, aka ‘fat burning ’ sabotager
Fructose is not regulated by insulin, so it is easily transported into the body's cells. Once inside the cells, fructose is quickly made back into glucose (blood sugar, which is what we extract from our food to use for energy), compromising insulin receptors, and thereby contributing to insulin resistance. Although high fructose foods such as agave and fruit concentrates are not considered ‘high glycemic/sugar’ foods, they ultimately can contribute to sugar (glycaemic) load on the body. Insulin resistance carries a higher risk of a range of diseases such as heart disease, dementia and even cancer, so we want to avoid this scenario.
The Problem with too much sugar: INSULIN RESISTANCE and disturbed metabolism
Noone wants a disrupted metabolism. We all want that robust metabolism that children has - that only need to eat when they’re hungry and never put on weight.
High-fructose diets may lead to the development of insulin resistance, also known as “metabolic syndrome,” which is actually pre-diabetes. Meaning - if this situation creeps up any further, you’ll be classified as diabetic. The onset of type 2 diabetes and is a cluster of symptoms associated with insulin resistance, high cholesterol, increased body fat, and high blood pressure - although i wouldn’t worry about this from just eating fruit.
The Liver-issue & Fructose
Excessie intake can overwhelm the gut, causing fructose to “spill over” into the liver, where it’s thought to contribute to liver disease. Studies have shown that the excessive consumption of fructose can be toxic to the liver. When large quantities of fructose reach the liver, the liver uses excess fructose to create fat, a process called lipogenesis. Eventually, people who consume too much fructose can develop nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition in which too much fat is stored in the liver cells.
Fructose (fruit sugar) is particularly favored in the food industry and can be found in countless food products thanks to its many properties. As it is used more and more, one's daily (inadvertent) intake of fructose also rises, and with it the number of people who suffer symptoms.
Fructose malabsorption can not only be the result of severe damage to the intestine and interference with the intestinal flora, it can also be the cause. In both cases, an intestinal examination can be recommended in order to adjust the diet, as well as to take any anti-inflammatory measures and conduct pre- and probiotic treatments.
The absorption of many important vitamins and minerals could also be restricted, which is reason to conduct an appropriate diagnosis and begin supplements.
Fructose & Mood
A particularly negative impact on health and wellbeing can stem from a tryptophan deficiency, commonly known to be involved in depression and anxiety. The fructose not absorbed in the intestines will bind tryptophan and reduce its resorption. The ensuing tryptophan deficiency, followed by deficiencies in serotonin and melatonin, could perhaps be responsible for the sleep disorders and depression that are sometimes seen together with gut symptoms such as constipation and bloating. Possible deficits can be tested in modern laboratories with the help of various parameters.
TOTTING UP HOW MUCH SUGAR YOU EAT:
Some people would clearly benefit from consuming more fruit, but it’s actually rather easy to over consume. In particular in combination with other sugars.
If you have breakfast cereal for breakfast, fruit juice with lunch plus apple, a healthy fruit & bar for snack, followed by a dessert and another 2 fruits after dinner = you could be eating over
Some people do find that their sugar cravings sky rocket and the get brain fog, fatigue and constipation when consuming fruit!
How-To Establish if you need to consider Fructose intolerance as part of your gut dysfunction picture:
if you have gut infections
if you have gut inflammation
if you have unexplained chronic constipation that nothing else solves
skin issues like acne
How-to fix Fructose intolerance
Priority one is to consider and heal leaky gut.